Thursday, May 9, 2013

Where the similarities end...

Today I was startled by this picture of friends and family desperately searching for their loved ones at Rana Plaza:

I felt like I had seen it somewhere before and then I remembered 911. I remembered all the photos, taped to anything and everything all over NYC in the aftermath of the tragedy. All those photos are now part of the museum at Ground Zero. I saw them myself on a very emotional trip I took to NYC a few years ago. It was life-changing experience, to put faces to the the huge list of names. The death toll from Rana Plaza has now surpassed 900. They died in much the same way that the victims of 911 did. Thousands of tons of concrete and metal in a twisted pile of death.

We started a war over 911. We took vengeance for what was done to our people. We hold the victims up as heros and indeed they truly are. I wonder what will happen in Bangladesh. Will the dead be honored by a million dollar memorial? Or will another flimsy building be put back in its place to turn out more clothing for WalMart, Target, Old Navy, Gap......too many to name...

Ground Zero

Rana Plaza

When I started this project I had no idea how horrific this journey would be. It is overwhelming; the photos, the faces, the broken bodies, broken hearts, broken lives. I feel so helpless. This whole project is such a lame attempt to help but at least it is something I can do. Maybe enough people will be touched by this tragedy and start to make some real changes. We are to blame for this. We are the consumer driven economy that has led to greed which led to desperation and wasted lives. All this so we can look good. I just can't reconcile it in my head.

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About Me

When you're so far the deep end, all that is left, all that ever will be, is to find how far the rabbit hole goes to, until you're back at the top again, and still you choose to persist, to dive back into the depths, yet again to dance with the shadows. - Smaran